Vending apparatus.



A. HEATON. VENDING APPARATUS. APPLIUATION FILED APR.26,1910.

972,582, Patented Oct. 11,1910.

WITNESSES ARTHUR HEATGN, OF WHITEHALL, ILLINOIS.

VENDING- APPARATUS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. i1, 1910.

Application filed April 26, 1910. Serial No. 557,646.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR HnA'roN, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of l/Vhitehall, in the county of Greene and Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to vending apparatus and particularly to a chancedevice in which a number of a series of numbers to be drawn from acontainer shall indicate the winner of a prize, the holder of the numberto receive the prize being ascertained by unmasking the prize numberwhich is concealed under a label attached to the base to which thestrips are secured.

This vending apparatus may be used in a plurality of ways, that is tosay, a slip may be drawn containing a number and the purchaser may beentitled to an article of merchandise containing the said number and thepurchaser may also be entitled to a chance for the grand prize indicatedby the number on the base which is concealed or a merchant may give hispurchasers an opportunity to draw a slip of paper containing a numberand such purchaser may be entitled to a chance for the grand prize, orother methods may be adopted for the advantageous eii11 )loyn'lent ofthe invention and the .ii'lventor, therefore, does not wish to belimited with respect to the method of use.

An object of this invention is to produce a base having a series ofslots therein to which strips of paper containing numbered tabs may beapplied, the said tabs being projected through the said slots in orderthat they will overlie the front of the base, the said tabs containingnumbers which are concealed in the slots of the base. l

A still further object of this invention is to provide novel means toprevent tampering with the tabs in order that the numbers contained onsaid tabs may be protected against inspection prior to the time they aresevered from the strips.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists inthe details of construction and in the arrangement and combination ofparts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein likecharacters denote corresponding parts in the several views, in which-Figure 1 illustrates a base by a view in perspective the said basehaving a plurality of tabs projecting from the front side thereof; Fig.2 illustrates a sectional view of a fragment of the base; Fig. 3illustrates a plan view of a fragment of a strip with the tabs shownthereon; and Fig. 4L illustrates the strip and tab in such relation toone of the sections of the base and the relation of the munbers to thesaid section in order to illustrate how the members are protectedagainst observation except after the tabs are severed from the strips.

In these drawings 5 denotes a head or upper section of the base and G,6, G, denote the sections of the base which are slightly separated toform slots 7. The ends of the sections 6 may be connected to themarginal strips 8 and 9 o1', if desired, the base may consist of asingle piece of material having the slots cut therein but terminating aslight distance from the edges but as such construction is an immaterialdetail, l do not wish to be limited with respect to the means forproducing the base having a series of slots such as is indicated by thenumeral 7.

The tabs l0 are integral with the strips l1 but there are pei'forationsl2 at the junction of the strips and tabs in order that the said tabsmay be readily detached from the strips. Each strip is numbered near theline of perforation and to further increase the interest of thepurchaser, said tabs have names stamped thereon in order that thepurchaser may select his strips according to the name contained thereonwithout reference to the number, a view of which is obstructed by thesections 6 of the base.

As shown in Fig. 2, the strips 1l are secured to the back of the baseand such strips may be attached thereto by adhesive of any appropriatecharacter, the perforated lines forming the junction between the stripand the tabs being at the rear edges of the sections under which thetabs extend. lhen a tab is selected, a pull is exerted on it and it willbe severed from the strip on the perforated line and the numeral on saidtab will be visible to the person who selects it as soon as the tab hasbeen withdrawn from the slot in which it rested. l prefer that thestrips shall be folded downward on the lai front surface of the basealthough When there are a series of tabs in each slot, the tabs of oneslot may partially overlie the tabs of the next succeeding slot but notto such an extent as to obscure the names contained on the tabs Whichthey overlie. The rear surface of the base is also provided With aprotecting sheet of material 13 such as paper which will prevent theWithdrawal of any of the tabs rearwardly for the purpose of observingthe numbers contained on them.

The head 5 is provided with a protecting sheet ll which conceals thegrand prize number and Which may serve for the reception of suchadvertising or display mattei' as Will indicate the business of thevending apparatus.

By reason of the fact that the strips of material may be insertedthrough the slots of the base, the base may be renewed after the tabsare exhausted by refilling the slots and applying the strips and tabs tothe base in the manner heretofore described.

I cla-im:

l. In a vending device, a base having a series of slots, strips ofmaterial secured to the back of the base and having tabs extendingthrough the slots of the base, the said tabs containing numbers on thoseportions Within the slots.

2. In a vending device, a base having a series of slots, strips ofmaterial secured to the back of the base and having tabs extending`through the slots of the base, the said tabs containing numbers on thoseportions Within the slots, and a protecting sheet covering the strips onthe back of the base.

3. In av vending device, a base having a series or" slots, strips ofmaterial secured to the back of the base and having tabs extendingthrough the slots of the base, the said tabs containing numbers on thoseportions Within the slots, a protecting sheet covering the strips on theback of the base, and a strip of material on the head adapted to concealthe grand prize number.

4. In a vending device, a base having a series of slots, strips ofmaterial secured to the back of the base and having tabs extendingthrough the slots of the base, the said tabs containing numbers on thoseportions Within the slots, the said strips having perforations at thejunction of the strips and tabs.

5. In a vending apparatus, a base having slots, combined strips andtabs, the said strips being secured to the surface of the base and thetabs extending through the slots of the base, the junction of saidstrips and tabs being positioned at the rear edge of the section of thebas-e whereby the tabs may be torn from the strip flush With the edge ofthe section of the base.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

ARTHUR HEATON.

fitnesses i R. B. VVINN, F. V. PEARCE.

